Unit information: J.S. Bach - the Leipzig Years in 2011/12

Unit name	J.S. Bach - the Leipzig Years
Unit code	MUSI20070
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Glyn Jenkins
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Music
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will concentrate to a large extent on the great Mass in B minor, whose composition occupied Bach at various stages during his career in Leipzig (1723-50). Discussions of the work - its origins, structure, use of parody and so forth - will be set in a broad context, surveying Bach's personal and artistic development during those years, and including comment on the cantatas and keyboard music as well as The Art of Fugue and the Musical Offering. Especial attention will be devoted to ways in which Bach responded to changing musical fashions and ideals that swept through Germany at this time.

This unit aims:

1. to give students an opportunity to expand the breadth of their historical knowledge in the field of baroque music and, in particular, to discuss the characteristics of the principal genres in which Bach worked
2. to expand their knowledge of the associated musical repertoire, be able to comment accurately and perceptively on matters of style and structure, and to identify clear reasons for the stylistic developments illustrated in the music of Bach’s Leipzig years
3. to relate particular compositional and technical features to the broader liturgical and doctrinal contexts in which they are situated
4. to comment on the primary sources for this repertoire, in particular, scribal habits and patterns of transmission
5. to develop their ability to assemble and assimilate information from a wide variety of sources
6. to engage in critical evaluation of texts about music
7. to develop effective and detailed arguments, both aurally and in writing

Intended Learning Outcomes

Successful completion of this unit will:

(1) provide a comprehensive framework against which students can explore and gain deeper understanding of many different types of music, particularly those prevalent in the early 18th century

(2) enable students to describe with confidence the techniques and procedures employed

(3) give students a clear and detailed understanding of the historical contexts in which this repertoire came into being

(4) enable students to assess how political, economic and social situations influenced approaches to musical composition

(5) encourage students to write critically and perceptively about relevant issues and techniques, using appropriate language and terminology

(6) defend and critique arguments orally and in writing

And additionally (specific to final-year undergraduates) to:

(7) argue effectively and at length, including an ability to cope with complexities and to describe and deploy these effectively

(8) display to a high level skills in selecting, applying, interpreting and organising information, including evidence of a high level of bibliographical control

(9) describe, evaluate and/or challenge current scholarly thinking

Teaching Information

There will be ten classes, each lasting 2 hours. The teaching methods will include lectures, student presentations and class discussion.

Assessment Information

Assessment of this unit takes the form of ONE coursework essay (50%) and a 2-hour examination (50%). The coursework essay must be chosen from the list below. Essays submitted by second year students should be 2500 words in length, and those by 3rd year students, 3000 words. In the examination, you will be required to answer TWO questions (both carrying equal weight).

Both the essay and the exam will demonstrate the first six learning outcomes listed above. Additionally, for third years, the essay will demonstrate the critical evaluation skills described in the 7th, 8th and 9th learning outcomes listed above.

Reading and References

• M. Boyd, Bach (London, 1983)

• M. Boyd (ed.), The Oxford Companion to J.S. Bach (Oxford, 1999)

• J. Butt, Bach – Mass in B minor (Cambridge, 1991)

• R. L. Marshall, J.S. Bach – the sources, the style, the significance (New York, 1989)

• C. Wolff, J.S. Bach – the Learned Musician (Oxford, 2000)

• Daniel R. Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)